Sen. Bernie Sanders sitting on the Senate steps leads to comparisons to a classic US civics cartoon

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), whose amendment was defeated 1-99, sits in the shade on the steps of the Senate as the Senate proceeds through a series of amendment votes, also called "vote-a-rama, on the Inflation Reduction Act at the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

• Sen. Bernie Sanders was captured in a photo sitting on the steps outside of Capitol Hill.
• The photo caught the eyes of internet users who compared him to a cartoon in an educational song. 
• Seated Sanders has been the face of a meme at least once before. 

Senator Bernie Sanders has become a meme once more.

Known affectionately by some as Uncle Bernie, the 80-year-old senator was captured by Los Angeles Times photojournalist Kent Nishimura sitting on the steps outside the US Capitol during a 15-hour Sunday "vote-a-rama" to pass the Inflation Reduction Act — a $740 billion climate, healthcare, and tax package.

New York City photographer Clayton Cubitt posted an apropos comparison of the photo with an image from a Schoolhouse Rock song called "I'm Just a Bill." 

—Clayton Cubitt (@claytoncubitt) August 7, 2022

The song, written by Dave Frishberg and performed by Jack Sheldon, has become an educational staple since its release in 1976 —teaching children about the process a bill undergoes before it's turned into law by way of a catchy tune.

"I'm just a bill. Yes, I'm only a bill," the song begins. "And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill," the song continues, showing the seemingly exhausted animated paper roll sitting on the steps as Sanders did on Sunday. 

The photo comes after another meme of Sanders sitting in a chair at President Biden's inauguration in January 2021 made its rounds on the internet featuring the Senator photoshopped into a variety of situations.

Former presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

 

When interviewed afterward by Seth Meyers on his late-night TV show, Sanders explained that he was simply "just sitting there trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on." 

—Ashley Holub, PhD (@ashtroid22) January 21, 2021

 

"Sen. Sanders has a very well-defined brand and image," Brendan Smialowski, the photojournalist who snapped the photo viral Sanders-mitten photo, told CNBC in 2021. "He is who he is and he's comfortable in that and it's very much part of his politics."

"It was a nice slice of life," Smialowski said. "It's just Bernie being Bernie."

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